


Clypeasteroida Circumagior

by MsOzma, sonicSymphony, stellaver



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-07 21:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1914015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsOzma/pseuds/MsOzma, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonicSymphony/pseuds/sonicSymphony, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellaver/pseuds/stellaver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"If a single flap of a butterfly's wings can be instrumental in generating a tornado, so also can all the previous and subsequent flaps of its wings, as can the flaps of the wings of millions of other butterflies, not to mention the activities of innumerable more powerful creatures, including our own species. Also, if the flap of a butterfly's wings can be instrumental in generating a tornado, it can equally well be instrumental in preventing a tornado." --Troll Rob Schneider, renowned Chaos Theorist</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clypeasteroida Circumagior

**Author's Note:**

> Team Eridan<>Feferi's entry for Main Round 1! The illustration was done by Lits; the fic was written by MsOzma, sonicSymphony, and Stellaver.

The tide is low, and the night is still. Hints of dawn have started to appear on the landside horizon as the night transforms into day and leaves the green moon alone to light Alternia. The sea dwellers will be done with their project before the sun could attempt to scorch them.  
  
In the dim light, Eridan has to squint to make out Feferi’s outline against the beach, about twenty meters ahead. She’d rocketed off and left him to bring up the rear, because she wanted to find all the sand dollars before he could. He would’ve run with her, but his new cape is too long—he’ll grow into it, hopefully, because right now he’s drowning in silky fabric—and he knows he would’ve ended up getting it caught under his foot.  
  
After a few minutes of being separated, Fef stops, waiting. When he meets her, she matches his stride and grabs his hand. “It’s more fun with you,” she says, looking up from the ground briefly to throw him a smile. She then returns her probing gaze to the sand.  
  
They walk a bit further. Skyhorse hovers at a respectful distance, ready to swoop in and get them when the signs of sunrise became more prevalent. Feferi finds two more sand dollars, and Eridan finds one that’s too big to be useful. Eventually, they come to a stop, and he watches her flip over a scallop shell with her fuchsia-painted toes.  
  
[](http://imgur.com/Y7EmCiZ)

 _She has such pretty feet_ , he thinks. They’re flat, strong sea dweller feet, with long toes and short fins running along the outsides. Perfect for swimming, perfect for digging shells out of the sand and flipping them over to examine. There are a _lot_ of things about her that are pretty, Eridan realizes. He always thought she was adorable, but this is different. The thought brings with it strange emotions he hadn’t felt before, and he spends the ride back to his hive thinking about why the thought occurred to him, and why the effect was so profound.  
  
It bothers him for days, weeks, perigees. They are new friends, new moirails, barely dipping their feet in the water. But are the feelings welling up inside of him really ones of moirallegiance?  
  
On the day Eridan realizes what’s happened, he curls up in his recuperacoon and blocks out the rest of the world, fear and shame welling up inside of him. She flipped a shell, he flipped a quadrant.  
  
…It didn’t always happen that way.  
  
The tide is low, and the night is still. Dawn is approaching, but they will be back in their hives before the sun rises. She walks ahead of him, and his cape is too long for him to catch up but she waits, grasping his hand when he finally makes it to her. They gather their bounty and head down to the shoreline, where they pass a scallop shell. Neither of them give it any unnecessary attention.  
  
“Eridan?” Feferi asks, moving closer to his side. He awkwardly tries to maneuver his cape around her shoulders, but he keeps dropping it so she has to take the flap herself and snuggle into the fabric.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I had fun tonight,” she says, squeezing his hand. “Let’s do it again.”  
  
“I’d do it every night, if you wanted to,” he tells her, too solemn for his age.  
  
She giggles and tugs him downward, and he descends gracelessly into the sand, getting his cape and pants sandy. He grumbles but complies when she pulls herself into his lap. They’re almost the same size, but Eridan can still wind his arms around Feferi’s torso and lean his cheek against her hair even as his legs become numb from her weight. Together, they watch the green moon set.  
  
~  
  
"Star or mouth?"  
  
"Star," he chooses.  
  
Feferi flips the sand dollar like a coin, watching it tumble through the air until a gust of wind snags it. The expression on her face startles a laugh out of Eridan, who just stands by and watches as Fef lunges for the sand dollar, almost falling off the side of his shipwreck hive in her haste. As her feet kick in the air, trying to throw her weight back onto the deck, he takes pity on her and walks over, pushing down on her legs before she can plummet off the edge. Once she's back on solid ground, she leans into him for a moment in silent thanks before righting herself and looking at the sand dollar in her palm. The flat bottom of the sand dollar gapes up at them, the small hole in the middle (that served as its mouth while it was alive) open to the sky. "Mouth."  
  
"Damn," Eridan sighs, shoulders slumping. He has the worst luck; this is the fifth time in a row he’s been stuck with hunting duty. “Maybe I’ll take out a few land dwellers while I’m at it,” he mutters, crossing his arms over his chest, “kill two cheepbeasts with one blast.”  
  
Swatting his arm, Feferi puts down the sand dollar on the railing and rebukes, “How can you talk about land dweller genocide? If they were gone, you’d have no one to play Fiduspawn with.”  
  
Blushing to the tips of his fins, he scowls. “I don’t _like_ Fiduspawn, it’s just that I’m not old enough to FLARP yet, okay? When I get my own ships and slaves and weapons, I’ll be the most feared troll on the sea.” She deadpans him with her stare, and he thrusts his chin further into the air. “It’ll be good for you too! I’ll win you allies for when you ascend to the throne.”  
  
Sighing, Feferi relents, not wanting to fight with him that night. She knows he’s sulking because of his unfavorable flip, and there’s no point in aggravating him further. “If you _reel-y_ want me to,” she says, twining her fingers together in front of her and staring at the deck, “I’ll hunt for Gl’bgolyb and you can take it down for her.”  
  
Fef _hates_ orphaning. They flip to be fair, but after the first ten or so lusii Eridan killed, he started enjoying the rush and the surge of power that came with the hunt, even if it’s more work. Feferi’s just glad he’s doing something productive and not taking out his frustrations on other trolls. He’d never killed anyone—he would’ve told her if he did, despite the fact she'd be disappointed in him. In some part of herself that her mind tries to keep quiet, sometimes she wonders if he actually _did_ have it in him to murder someone in cold blood. Many others of their species did.  
  
She wants her moirail to be better than that.  
  
Eridan’s sneakers enter her field of vision, and his hand reaches out to squeeze her shoulder. She looks up to meet his gaze, and his eyes are soft. A selfish part of Feferi loves that she’s the only one who receives his tenderness, the lone recipient of his gentle side. “It’s o _crayfish_ ,” he says, and his weak fish pun surprises a smile out of her. He should’ve just taken off the _fish_ and left _cray_ , but she finds his bad puns endearing, these days. “I can do it.”  
  
Through sweeps of hunting and feeding and surviving, they are reassuring presences at each other’s sides, bandaging wounds and kissing away hurts and making sure everything is truly _fine_. There’s no quadrant flipping drama—the only flipping is that of a sand dollar, when the two stubborn sea dwellers refuse to compromise. Gl’bgolyb burdens them both, but Eridan decides he would like to bear the brunt of it, because that’s the only thing he can do. He will hunt, while Feferi has the fate of billions of trolls resting on her shoulders. Being the Heiress is meant to be isolating, suffocating, exhausting. As she thinks and plans and dreams, he makes sure she never feels alone.  
  
~  
  
Eridan bursts into his moirail’s respiteblock, the current he creates sending two of her cuttlefish spiraling into each other. Some of the cages shift a bit, but Eridan is unperturbed by them, swimming right up to Feferi and grinning.  
  
That’s when she sees the missing tooth and blossoming bruise around his right eye. She expects him to start complaining and whining about how it hurts—there’s a bit of violet blood tinging the water, so the damage is _very_ recent—but he actually looks _happy_. It catches her off guard, her fins fluttering in surprise. It takes a bit of concentration for her to turn her motions into words. _“Eridan, what—?”_  
  
 _“Come with me,”_ he flaps, and she nods, putting down her tablet. He grabs Feferi’s hand, tugging her to the door, not letting go until they’ve reached his shipwreck hive. Once they’re securely on deck, he leads her inside and rummages around in a closet, finding his two fluffiest towels and tossing one to her. She buries her face in it, drying herself and appreciating the softness before she wraps it around her shoulders.  
  
“Did you get _punched_?” she asks. Though she tries to make her tone joking, there’s a worried edge. Feferi hopes he didn’t antagonize anyone that’ll try to get revenge.  
  
He prods at the hole his missing tooth left with his tongue as he ties his towel around his waist. “Yeah, I did. You know what that means?”  
  
 _It means you’re behaving like a total dork?_ Quirking an eyebrow, she says, “No..?”  
  
“Vris is totally into me!” There’s a hint of disdain in his words; his wiggler-hate is cute, and it makes her giggle. His lower lip juts out in a pout at her reaction, and she waves her hand to say she’s not laughing at _him_ (but she is).  
  
“Come on,” she says, taking his hand again and leading him down the hall. “Let’s rinse your mouth with salt water.”  
  
“We were just in the _ocean_ ,” he protests, but still trails along just behind her.  
  
“ _Clean_ salt water,” Feferi corrects, squeezing his fingers. He returns the pressure.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they’re sitting in a scarf pile (he went for his wands first, but last time they both got splinters, so she wants to stay out of there for a while) with his head in her lap as she pets his hair. He always takes such good care of it, using all sorts of fancy shampoo and conditioner to make it silky and gorgeous. It feels amazing, sliding through her waterlogged fingers as they glub excitedly. “So you _really_ think she’s the one?” Feferi needles.  
  
“Definitely,” he purrs, leaning into her touch. He’s so content and malleable in her arms; she knows she could break him in half, and he wouldn’t notice until he was in two chunks on the floor. That’s what paleness is, she thinks: knowing you could break someone into itty-bitty pieces and loving them too much to do so. “She’s so _hateful_ …” Feferi feels him shiver.  
  
“I think I’ve heard enough details for now,” she says, bopping him on the nose with the tip of her finger. He scrunches his face up, fluttering his fins. When they first sat down, he’d gone on and on about his black crush’s bristly voice and unkempt hair and supercilious posture. Feferi feels like she could identify Vriska Serket at a glance, even though they'd never met.  
  
“Well, I _do_ try to be completely open with you,” he says, entirely oblivious to the absolute wreck they could’ve effortlessly become. “That’s sort of what moirallegiance is _for_.”  
  
Sinking deeper into the pile, she shifts Eridan off her lap and lays down next to him instead, purring slightly as his arms wrap around her and he twines their legs together. He buries his face in her wet hair, taking a deep breath. She smells like salt and brine; the scent of the sea is the only perfume a sea dweller needs. They fall silent, Eridan tracing the delicate tines of her fins with a finger and Feferi rubbing soothing circles into the base of his spine.  
  
“Eridan Ampora,” she says out of the blue, natural authority making it a decree, “you are such a _cuttleslut_!”  
  
“A ‘cuddleslut’?” he questions with a small, confused frown.  
  
“NO,” she shakes her head vigorously, “there’s a fish pun in there! _Cuttle_ fish, _cuttle_ slut!”  
  
She feels his chest shake as he suppresses a chuckle. “You’re so _lame_ , Fef,” he says, snuggling closer. It only proves her point.  
  
Smiling, Feferi holds out two fingers, waiting patiently. When he notices, Eridan raises his hand in return and mirrors her, pressing the tips of their fingers together to make a diamond. “Pale for you,” he says. In other worlds, he’d repeated those same words again and again, but they were either exaggerated or embarrassed or insincere.  
  
She leans closer, pressing a kiss to the base of one of his horns. “Pale as starlight.”  
  
~  
  
A sliver of green lights the waning night an hour before dawn. Only two lonely figures dared remain on the beach.  
  
Feferi is an excited mass of energy, after swimming frantically to the beach in front of Eridan’s hive. She’s all movement, bouncing on the balls of her feet and twisting her hair into spirals to do something with her hands.  
  
Eridan, on the contrary, is as stagnant as ever, despite running down there from his hive to meet her without even bothering to put on his shoes. “What’s so urgent that you needed to glub at me _now_?”  
  
“There’s this thing—a game!” Feferi replies, the words tumbling out in her effort to explain. “Kanaya told me about it. She asked if the two of us could join in this session a bunch of our fronds are playing.”  
  
He tilted his head, curiosity piqued. “What sorta game is it?”  
  
Feferi grins broadly, showing her jagged fangs. “She called it Sgrub, and it’s going to end Alternia as we know it.”  
  
Eridan stares at her, wide-eyed and jaw agape, until he can muster up the sense to say, “Fef, I really hope you’re joking.”  
  
“I’m not! Gl’bgolyb whispered to me about it, too.” Her face falls a little bit as she continues, “Alternia’s going to be destroyed, and our lusii are going to die.”  
  
Again, there’s silence. One second, then two.  
  
Eridan shakes his head disbelievingly. “And… You _want_ to play this game? Gl’bgolyb dying releases the Vast Glub, doesn’t it?”  
  
“It’s what we’re supposed to do.” She shrugs, forlorn. “But besides dead custodians, it sounds exciting, doesn’t it?”  
  
“It _sounds_ ridiculous,” Eridan replies incredulously. “If playing this game is what’s gonna kill our lusii, I’m not doing it, and I’m begging you not to either.”  
  
She grabs his sleeve, looking at him earnestly. “I know it sounds dumb, but we have to play this game.”  
  
Eridan looks at her, his eyebrows furrowing. “Why do you say that?”  
  
Tugging at his arm, she desperately tries to explain, “Alternia is going to be destroyed, and everyone will die either way. It’s our only chance to survive!”  
  
“And you’re _completely_ certain this is gonna happen?” he clarifies.  
  
“Yes! I mean, I think so. Gl’bgolyb’s always reely vague.” She shifts, looking down at the beach beneath her feet. It’s all sand and rocks, eroded smooth by the surf. Suddenly, her eyes light up. “Wait, I have an idea!”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
Letting go of his arm, she stoops down, snatching up a sand dollar that was sitting on the sand between their feet, like it was fated for them to find. It's glistening white and nearly perfect. “We’ll flip on it! If it lands star-up, we play the game. If it doesn’t, we _both_ don’t. Either way, we’re in this together.”  
  
Eridan considers it, weighing it in his mind the way only a seasoned strategist could. Then he looks at her sure smile and concedes, “Alright. Together.”  
  
Grinning, she takes his hand and with her other, flips the sand dollar. It flies into the air, spinning over and over. It shifts a bit in the breeze, and hits not sand, but pebbles.  
  
It shatters into pieces at their feet.  
  
~  
  
 **cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling caligulasAquarium [CA]**  
  
 **CC: W)()()()()(-E-E-E-E-EW.**  
 **CA: are you in**  
 **CC: I’m in!**  
 **CA: thank cod**  
 **CA: i wwas gettin wworried**  
 **CC: I know, it took FOR----------EV----ER!!**  
 **CC: But Sollux came t)(roug)( in t)(e end.**  
 **CA: honestly that guys a fuckin drama machine**  
 **CC: So is YOUR FAC-E!**  
 **CC: KIDDING, but drama mac)(ine or not, )(e saved my life.**  
 **CA: i knoww**  
 **CA: im just glad youre alive**  
 **CA: i wwas really scared for a wwhile**  
 **CC: Trust me, I’m not going ANYW)(-ER-E any time soon. 38)**  
 **CA: thats relievvin**  
 **CA: it wwould be hard to find a neww moirail wwhos as amazin as you**  
 **CC: I AM pretty amazing, aren’t I?**  
 **CC: GLUB GLUB GLUB!**  
 **CA: glub/strong >  
 **CC: ----Errr, crabtually, speaking of Sollux!**  
 **CC: )(e is R-E-ELY cool.**  
 **CC: And reely sweet!**  
 **CA: wwhat are you gettin at here**  
 **CC: Weeeeell, I t)(ink I MIG)(T )(ave a little flus)(-crus)(.**  
 **CC: I mean, )(e saved my LIF-----------E! It's )(ard not to like a person after t)(at.**  
 **CC: W)(at do you t)(ink??**  
 **CA: i think i made it clear that i don’t like him**  
 **CA: BUT**  
 **CA: its your flush-crush youre dealin wwith**  
 **CA: if you wwant to go for it fine**  
 **CA: you havve my support either wway**  
 **CA: and if he doesnt like you wwell then fuck him hes an idiot**  
 **CC: T)(ank you…**  
 **CA: of course**  
 **CA: hmm**  
 **CC: )(mm w)(at?**  
 **CA: nothin just thinkin**  
 **CC: Of w)(aaaat?**  
 **CA: other stuff**  
 **CA: youvve seen my planet obvviously**  
 **CA: and these fuckin angels**  
 **CC: I t)(ink t)(eyre pretty!**  
 **CA: pretty creepy**  
 **CA: i dont trust these things**  
 **CA: all they do is fly around and wwhisper amongst themselvves**  
 **CC: W)(at do t)(ey say??**  
 **CA: i havve no clue i dont understand them**  
 **CA: i wwas thinkin that since you havve a hellbeast from the furthest ring as your lusus maybe you could givve me advvice**  
 **CA: on howw to kill em**  
 **CC: 38O**  
 **CC: -Eridan do NOT kill t)(em!**  
 **CC: Creepy or not, your planet is t)(e Land of Wrat)( and ANG---------ELS for a reason.**  
 **CC: T)(ey probubbly )(ave a porpoise in t)(is game t)(at you don’t know yet.**  
 **CA: so im gettin no help from you there**  
 **CC: NON----------------E!!!!**  
 **CA: wway to fork those poor shoutpoles**  
 **CC: Don’t c)(ange t)(e subject!!!**  
 **CA: fine**  
 **CA: wwhat if wwe flip on it**  
 **CC: First off, we don’t even know if t)(ere’s a way to travel between planets.**  
 **CC: And secondly, do eit)(er of us )(ave any sand dollars TO flip?**  
 **CA: im sure one a us has a sand dollar lyin around**  
 **CC: W)(AT-EV-ER, you get my point.**  
 **CA: yeah**  
 **CA: i guess i wwont**  
 **CA: cause like you said they might havve a purpose evven as fuckin creepy as they are**  
 **CC: SUCC-ESS! 38D**  
 **CC: Wait, somet)(ing's )(appening on t)(e Sollux front…**  
 **CC: I )(AV-E TO GO.**  
 **CA: wwhat happened**  
 **CA: are you ok**  
 **CC: I’ll tell you later, prawnmise!**  
 **CC: <>!!!!**  
 **CA: <>**  
  
 **cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling caligulasAquarium [CA]**  
**  
~  
  
The two trolls are at an impasse, with Feferi’s Quest Cocoon as their backdrop. Neither want to make the final move.  
  
She pulls a sand dollar out of her skirt’s pocket. “We’ll flip,” she offers.  
  
Eridan ponders this possibility. They both know it won’t work. Since the game started, every time they tried to rely on the sand dollar it shattered, and they remained as lost as ever.  
  
In spite of this, he nods his assent, and Feferi flips it. As predicted, it goes too high, and it shatters in the palm of her hand.  
  
Eridan doesn’t miss a beat, never expecting it to happen any other way. “I’ll die first.”  
  
“Are you _crazy_!?” Feferi exclaims, stern and immovable. As typical of her royalty, she already made up her mind. Not even their sand dollar could’ve stopped her. “This is _my_ land, and my cocoon is the closest.” She motions to the tall structure behind them. “ _I_ will be the one to die first—”  
  
“ _NO_!” Eridan protests, yanking her arm. “You _can’t_ be the one to go first! I can’t…”  
  
His voice falters, unable to finish his statement. He simply lets his head hang down, eyes shut in shame.  
  
Even if she weren’t his moirail, she would’ve understood.  
  
“Eridan, okay,” she says, worming out of his grip and placing her hand on his shoulder. “ _Okay_. I’ll do it. I’ll…”  
  
Her voice becomes feeble at the thought of killing him, nausea starting to curl in her stomach. Eridan’s sure she would do it. He knows there’s only one coward among them, and it isn’t her.  
  
He shakes his head, lifting his chin up to face her.  
  
“No… No. I—” He swallows. “I’ll do it, Fef.”  
  
Her eyes meet his with shock. It’s so characteristic of her to make these sacrifices instead of him.  
  
Has he grown up so much?  
  
The two of them nod knowingly at each other and begin their ascent, hands interlocked. They are silent the whole way. Though Feferi could feel Eridan’s hesitation and weakening resolve, she could also sense his desire to remain strong. Both for himself _and_ for her.  
  
When they reach the chamber, Eridan sees the stone slab with Feferi’s life symbol adorning its center, and his resolve breaks. He falls to his knees, wailing.  
  
 _“I CAN’T DO IT, FEF!”_  
  
He clutches the edge of her skirt, balling it in his fists as he cries. He doesn’t care if he’s a coward for it—he could _not_ go through with this. For a moment, Feferi considers giving him his way. Of _course_ he’s not fine with killing her; the mere idea of ending his life makes her feel ill. However, if she _did_ switch their positions, he’d only beat himself up later.  
  
They can’t change the order. It’s fine if Eridan is terrified. Feferi can be brave for him.  
  
“ _Shhhhh_ ,” she coos. “It’s okay, Eridan, it’s okay… you _can_ do this—”  
  
“ _No_ —” he squeaks, burrowing closer to her. They haven’t been near the sea in what felt like forever, but somehow she still smells of the ocean. Fef lifts his chin to face her, staring intently into his eyes.  
  
“I trust you, Eridan.”  
  
Trust. That’s what it’s all about. They trust and _depend_ on each other.  
  
He nods in understanding.  
  
Between sniffles and choked sobs she leads him to the slab. Even while laying on it, she has to help steady his hands as he points his gun at her temple. As tears fall down his face, she grins up at him in reassurance. “Pale for you.”  
  
He rests his finger on the trigger. In an attempt to ease her own nervousness (or was it his?), he smiles back.  
  
“Pale for you, too.”  
  
Eridan pulls the trigger.  
  
~  
  
The trolls from the other timeline (the main one, Feferi supposes) bring the strange carapacian in his dirty, blood-soaked rags. She and Eridan don’t know the reason they’re so insistent on helping him, but they agree to anyway. Differing timelines or no, they’re still their friends—even if they all look at Eridan with thinly-veiled trepidation.  
  
Feferi wonders what their Eridan did that was so awful. Eridan ignores them for his sanity’s sake.  
  
Fef kneels before the black carapace, restoring the life energy he once had. In the midst of it, she looks up at Eridan. She smiles, tenderness filling her expression. Even after an incalculable number of sweeps, that look still makes him feel three sweeps old and completely in love, stumbling along after her as she looks for sand dollars on the beach.


End file.
